Before preparing this application for filing in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a patentability search was conducted on the concept of providing a kit for a closet which increases the usable space in which garments are suspended from horizontal rods. This search brought to light the following patents which are believed to come closest to this concept:
U.S. Pat. No. 0,455,725--Redding PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,043,036--Duncan PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,549--Burg et al. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 0,793,017--French PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 0.772,020--Baruch PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 0.832,625--Ryan PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 0,844,687--Miller et al
Brief comment is made on the disclosures of these patents as follows:
Redding
This reference relates to a temporary installation of a wardrobe within a living space. The purpose is the creation of a wardrobe rather than more efficient utilization of a pre-existing closet space. Also, it should be noted that this is a compact portable unit of limited variation.
Duncan
This patent relates to temporary garment display racks, and is primarily concerned with compact storage when not in use and with providing a variety of assembled configurations in order to more efficiently display goods. With the exception of a floor, pre-existing structures are not utilized by this device.
Burg et al
This is principally a shelf component supportive system, conceived for use in living space and possible commercial applications. The load carrying supports for this system are vertical, depending upon a horizontal surface, such as a floor, to bear the load, with no consideration given to the potential use of vertical surfaces for this same function. For further stability, another horizontal surface, such as a ceiling, is employed. Cube-shaped connectors are utilized, of such a design as to diminish usable space and to require specially cut shelving or shelving considerably smaller in size from that which would be desirable in order to maximize the available surface area of such a system. Also, the cubic connectors are of an embodiment inherently prohibiting the passage of a vertical or horizontal rod therethrough. Greater strength at an intersection point could be gained if as many as possible of the horizontal rods at that junction were continuous, thus the connection would provide basically a binding effect, rather than a load-carrying effect.
French
Ths object of this device is to provide a temporary, versitile display structure. As may be seen by the connectors utilized, no thought was given to the end of having a permanent or even semi-permanent structure.
The following patents were also noted as having some bearing on the abstract concept, but are not believed to be as pertinent to the present device as those described above:
Apparently, much thought has been given to the use of open living space for storage. The concept of an essentially free standing device for the containment of articles of clothing and other objects is well known. However, little consideration has been devoted to a more efficient utilization of present closet space. It would be desirable, therefore, to provide a kit yielding an easily installed permanent or semi-permanent highly flexible, variable, and versatile structure to decrease the extent of wasted closet space.